The Many Uses of Books and Texts

Work of art, vehicle of knowledge, repository of ancient legacy, laboratory of new knowledge—the medieval medical book was all of those things, and more. It was the medium through which the classical Greek heritage—reworked, rearranged and re-elaborated—was received and assimilated into the West. Reproducing previous science and blending different components into a new and original synthesis, the medieval medical book embodied the new knowledge of the time. As such, it reflected daily life, revealed through the selection of texts, the layout of pages, its pictures and binding, the notes added in the margins, and the many markings that trace its use.

The medieval medical book was used as a teaching tool, as well as for personal study, and the daily exercise of medicine. Very often, it was the repository of experiences gained in medical practice, and contributed to the making of a new tradition that not only relied on textual and scholarly knowledge, but also associated theoretical science and practical experience.